The San Diego Padres, under the watchful eye of general manager A.J. Prior to the trade deadline, the Padres made massive starting rotation upgrades, acquiring Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers after pulling off a trade with the San Francisco Giants for Robbie Ray. Fortifying their starting rotation was a must if they were serious about making a push for the postseason, and that's what they did. According to StatMuse, they entered their Monday night contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks with the eighth-worst starting rotation ERA in the big leagues. San Diego did give up two talented prospects but they needed to do so to address a glaring roster weakness.